


Hereafter Volume One

by rae_marie



Series: Echoes In the Universe [12]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: (surprisingly it's not brax), Gen, also see if you can spot all the cameos, and uhhh, blair kenneth verse, enjoy brax being brax, just a general warning for a time lord being horrible and manipulative to blair, writing this was extremely surreal and i still can't figure out why
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-07 14:35:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18412625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rae_marie/pseuds/rae_marie
Summary: Unsure where to turn next, Blair finds help in an unexpected place.





	1. Episode One

Completely forgetting how winded she was, Blair leapt up and flung herself at Miraletti.

She tried, rather feebly, to pin Miraletti against the wall, but she quickly was out of breath, and besides, she was a _lot_ shorter than her anyway. She was swept aside quickly, and fell back on the floor, out of breath.

‘Insolent girl - I _rescued you_ \- why would you attack me?!’

Blair panted, desperately wanting her breath back. She glared up at the Time Lord.

‘Take me back to the Master _now_ ,’ she growled.

Miraletti shook her head.

‘Oh, has he hypnotised you, child? Is that why you’re so attached to him?’

Blair’s hands curled into fists, and if she’d had the energy, she would’ve attacked her again. Instead, she just scowled at the Time Lord.

‘That’s not _true_ , and you better not say stuff like that _again_ ,’ she whispered. Miraletti laughed.

‘Oh, is _that_ what you think,’ she said.

Blair glared at her. ‘Don’t you _dare_ mess with my head,’ she growled.

Miraletti shrugged. ‘You know, I really don’t care what you think,’ she said. ‘I brought you here because you’re an anomaly, and can probably detect better than I can what I need.’ Blair scowled and opened her mouth, but Miraletti cut her off. ‘I need you to find a gem for me; it has special properties, and I need it.’

‘Get it _yourself_ ,’ Blair growled.

Miraletti laughed. ‘I didn’t _know_ you wanted to be thrown back into space so badly, Blair!’ Blair’s eyes widened. ‘You will get it for me,’ Miraletti said, ‘or there will be _consequences_.’

*****

About an hour later, and in a CIA uniform, Blair trudged angrily down the street in the direction she’d been told the gem might be hidden.

She entered the building she was supposed to look in, and looked around.

It was dark, and nothing much was visible. But then….

There was a glow coming from a shelf on the far wall. She walked over to it, and saw, sitting high up, a beautiful stone; the colour of a fuschia flower, carved intricately, and pulsing with a strange light in the dark. She was so absorbed in studying the angular patterns carved on the gem that she almost screamed when the voice behind her said,

‘Quite stunning, isn’t it?’

Blair spun around and stared. Before her stood a Time Lord in a dark red and black robe. He was much taller than her; almost as tall as the Master, and there was something about him, _more_ than his height, that made him seem somewhat intimidating. She backed up a little.

‘H….h….hi….’ she stammered.

‘You’re rather young to be working in the CIA, aren’t you?’ he said.

Blair froze; she didn’t know what to say.

‘And I wasn’t aware that they allowed humans in that particular organisation.’

Blair felt everything go into tunnel-vision.

In an instant the Time Lord was by her side, holding her up. Blair took big gulps of air.

 _This is embarrassing_ , she thought.

‘I’m not gonna faint….’ Her voice squeaked. ‘I just get panic attacks....’ She shuddered and got her breath back, and her vision back, then looked up at him.

‘Please don’t throw me back into space,’ she said.

‘Now why would I do that?’ the Time Lord said.

‘B….because I’m a human….and….I’m kinda an anomaly….’ She trailed off, scared, but the Time Lord had a friendly smile under his silly mustache, and she started to realise she might not _need_ to be scared; at least not yet.

‘Is that so?’ the Time Lord asked. He gracefully sat down on the ground, and she shakily sat down next to him. ‘And how are you an anomaly? What’s your name, by the way?’

‘I’m Blair,’ she said.

‘Ah. So how, might I ask, Blair, are you an anomaly?’

She didn’t know if she could actually trust him.

She looked at the Time Lord, and thought about all the ones she had met so far: the Master; her complicated enigma of a best friend, the old Doctor, arrogant and high-strung; the new Doctor, warm and kind, yet deep and mysterious; the Monk, devious and, quite frankly, not that clever; the rude and haughty Chancellor Goth; the snarky and slightly on-edge version of the Master, the terrifying and cold Rani….and Miraletti, who was becoming more and more horrifying by the minute. She didn’t like her, that was for certain, and she was sure that the gem was something that was only going to cause more trouble.

What about this one? She studied him; he seemed friendly enough. That might not be actually true, though. She realised that out of all the Time Lords she had met, there were only three that she actually felt like she could trust. But then again, things were getting pretty bleak, and if she couldn’t trust this stranger, what was going to happen to her?

She took a deep breath.

‘I haven’t had the best track record with Time Lords so far,’ she said, ‘but….I need help. I’m going to trust you.’

The Time Lord nodded, and she realised that in a way, he reminded here a little bit of the Master. She sighed.

‘I got caught up in a fixed point,’ she said, ‘and the only way I’m alive is that my best friend found a loophole in the fixed point, but I can never go back home in order to keep it that way.’

‘I see!’ he said. He looked at her curiously, smiling. ‘How did you end up on Gallifrey, and in a CIA uniform at that?’

‘I….don’t really know how to explain it,’ she said. ‘I was trying to stop these time-eating aliens with my friend, and I fell out of an airlock, and thought I was gonna die, and then I woke up in the CIA headquarters. I think Miralettiarcalia kidnapped me, but she also kinda saved my life, and….I just don’t know what to think.’

The Time Lord made a scornful sound. ‘Saved your life she may have, young lady, but she certainly doesn’t have _your_ interests at hearts.’ He looked at her curiously again. ‘Does she have you working on some assignment….?’

‘I….er….’ Blair trailed off.

‘Go on.’

‘I….don’t think I’m supposed to say,’ she said.

The Time Lord looked at her with a serious expression, and his voice dropped low.

‘Blair,’ he said, ‘Miralettiarcalia is a very dangerous person. Whatever she’s having you do is probably something that would be catastrophically detrimental to the cosmos if it came to pass. And even if it wasn’t, I am of incredibly high authority on this world - actually, in the Universe, now that I mention it - and have the necessary clearance to know anything about the CIA’s…. _activities_.’ He said it like it was distasteful, and perhaps it was. Blair frowned, and studied him again. He studied her back.

She sighed.

‘She’s having me look for that gem up there,’ she said. She gestured to it, and the Time Lord looked up, then did a doubletake, his eyes wide.

‘No….’ he murmured. He stood up quickly and reached for the gem. Blair rose and looked at him.

‘What is it?’ she asked. ‘Do you know?’

‘It is very old, and very dangerous, if misused,’ he said. ‘Thank you for informing me of this; I must get it off the planet right away.’

‘ _Oh_ ,’ Blair breathed. Her mind raced; what would have happened if she had given it to her, she wondered? Then the fear hit her.

‘What….what do I tell Miraletti?’ she asked. ‘I don’t know what she’ll do to me if she finds I’ve let someone else take it.’ Her stomach clenched. ‘I….I think she’ll kill me, and I mean that literally.’

The Time Lord frowned and rummaged in one of his robe’s pockets before pulling out a square of paper with the familiar circular writing on it.

‘Here,’ he said. ‘If she asks where it went, give her this paper and tell her you can tell her no more. Be confident about it.’ He started walking away, the gem carefully nestled between his hands, then he stopped.

‘Be careful, Blair,’ he said over his shoulder.

‘Thank you.’ He nodded and walked on.

‘Wait - ‘ she called, ‘I don’t know your name!’

‘Just call me the Ambassador!’ he called back. ‘Nothing more; nothing less!’  
His footsteps faded into the distance, and Blair stared after him, wondering who in the galaxy this stranger actually _was_.


	2. Episode Two

‘You haven’t got it?’ Miraletti said. Her voice was tense.  

‘No. I don’t.’ 

Miraletti turned around, eyes blazing. 

‘And  _ why _ have you not got it yet?’ she demanded. 

Blair closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and took the square of paper out of her sleeve. She held it before the Time Lord and looked her dead in the eyes. 

‘I can’t say anything else,’ she said, surprisingly evenly for how hard her heart was pounding. She seriously hoped this would be enough….

As soon as Miraletti had looked down at the paper, the reaction was almost instantaneous. She paled a surprising amount, and sputtered in confusion and possibly terror. She reached for the paper, but Blair snatched it away. 

‘I’m not sure he would want you to keep it,’ she said. 

‘Why….there is no such thing as….how is that possible….’ Miraletti trailed off. 

‘He gave it to me, and said to not say anything else, so I’m not going to,’ she said. 

Miraletti stared at her for what felt like a long time, then finally said, 

‘Very…. _ well _ . Tomorrow you can go to the Archives and see what information you can find on the gem there.’ 

Blair frowned. She wasn’t going to help her hurt anyone, but she had a feeling that saying that wouldn’t go down very well right now.    
  
*****

The next morning, Blair got her backpack and cautiously walked the streets of the Capitol, down to where she’d been told the Archives were. She tried to form a plan on the fly as to how she was going to avoid finding information on the gem, and if at all possible, avoid Miraletti as well, but nothing came to her. 

_ What would the Master do? _ she thought, then shoved the thought away; a burning feeling in her throat and in her eyes. 

_ Not now. Not yet. _

She had to find a way to get back to him. 

The big door was in front of her now, and she tentatively reached out and pushed the button for it to open. 

*****

There wasn’t really the smell of books that she’d expected; of course there  _ were _ some books, but almost all of the Archive was little canisters of data coils, and she found that a bit disappointing. 

She stood in the doorway, wondering where to start, when she sensed someone behind her. She immediately brought down her mental defenses and turned. 

It was the Ambassador. 

‘Hello again,’ he said. 

‘Hi….’ Blair still felt a bit wary about her potential new ally. 

‘How did it go with Miralettiarcalia when you returned?’ he asked. Blair smiled hesitatingly. 

‘She was scared; I don’t know what you put on that card, but it freaked her out.’ 

‘Ah! That’s good, then. I suppose she sent you here to find out the history of the gem?’ 

Blair nodded. ‘Something like that, yeah. I didn’t know what to do.’ 

He put a gloved hand on her shoulder, a little awkwardly, it seemed. 

‘I shall give you a tour of the Archive to take up a little of your time.’ Blair nodded, grateful. 

*****

After half an hour, they had almost reached the end of the tour, and Blair was awestruck. There was so much information in here; almost as much as in the library where she’d met the Doctor with the umbrella, and it was almost overwhelming. 

They stopped by a window and looked out together. Blair stood, still tense, and went through her options. She could trust this Ambassador, and maybe he could get her out of this situation and back to the Master….or maybe he would refuse once he found out who she had travelled with. As for going along with Miraletti, she  _ certainly _ wasn’t going to be doing any of that. She wasn’t going to help someone possibly blow up the world, and she also knew intuitively that once Miraletti was done with her, she would kill her. She could see it in her eyes. 

There was also the option of escaping outside the Capitol; she remembered the Master telling her stories of sneaking off with the Doctor as kids and hanging out with the Outsiders until a tutor inevitably caught them and hauled them back to the Academy.

She looked back at the Ambassador, and found he was studying her. She pulled back a little, and he chuckled. 

‘You’re a fencer, I see.’ 

Blair’s eyebrows shot up. 

‘How did you….’ 

‘Your stance,’ he said. He tapped the ceremonial-looking sheathed sword buckled around his robe. ‘It takes one to know one, you know.’ His eyes twinkled, more than just the usual colour-shifting, and Blair realised suddenly that she really  _ did _ want to trust him. 

She looked around and saw two long sticks that looked a bit like curtain rods leaning up against a wall. She walked over to them and gestured. 

‘Are these some sort of ancient artefact, or are they just sticks?’ she asked. 

‘They are the Curtain Rods of Rassilon,’ the Ambassador said, completely seriously. Blair’s face fell. 

‘That sounds….kinda like an ancient artefact.’ 

‘No, not really; they’re just leftover curtain rods from the last time this place was redecorated; go ahead.’ 

Blair grinned and picked them up. She handed one to the Ambassador, and got into the en garde position. 

‘Would you like to have a bout?’ she said. 

The Ambassador laughed, and got into the same position. ‘Of course; that sounds perfect.’ 

‘First one to knock the sword out of the other’s hand wins?’ 

‘Splendid.’ 

Blair nodded, and made a lunge. 

Their curtain rods clashed, and as they both parried and riposted, Blair tried to grip her rod tighter, but then realised that was exactly what she  _ shouldn’t  _ do. She loosened her grip just a  _ little  _ too much, and it flew out of her hand and clattered to the floor. She started laughing for the first time in what felt like forever, and then the Ambassador was laughing, and then they were leaning up against the shelves, barely able to contain themselves. 

The voice that interrupted them had to repeat itself several times before either of them noticed the grumpy-looking, brown-haired CIA cadet standing in front of them, tapping his foot impatiently.

‘What is it….Cadet?’ the Ambassador asked, choking back even more laughter. 

‘ _ What _ is a human doing in on this planet, and not only in a CIA uniform, but in the sacred  _ Archives themselves?! _ ’ he cried, his indignant voice rising to a squeak. 

Blair froze. 

‘Ah, that is of no concern to you,’ the Ambassador said, and the cadet frowned. 

‘I believe it  _ is _ , my lord;’ he said, ‘Gallifrey’s security is  _ always  _ my business; I - ‘ 

‘Cadet,’ the Ambassador cut him off, ‘perhaps we should discuss this in  _ private _ .’ 

‘But I - ‘

‘In.  _ Private _ ,’ he said, his silky voice only giving away the tiniest hint of being on edge. The cadet flushed, and the Ambassador led him away. 

‘Stay there a moment, Blair; I will be right back,’ he called.

Blair leaned against the shelf and stared out the window. The dark orange sky outside was strange and exciting, and the silver trees sparkled in the light of the two suns. She stared out at them for what felt like a long while, enjoying being able to simply watch the sunslight and not have to think about the gem for a while. 

Soon she heard soft footsteps coming in her direction, and she looked up to see the Ambassador coming back to her. 

‘That problem was easily sorted!’ he said. ‘Now, Blair, I think we need to have our  _ own _ private discussion somewhere about your situation on this planet. Would you come with me, please?’ 

Blair instinctively tensed and drew back. ‘I….I don’t know….’ She trailed off, wondering what choice she  _ had _ .

‘I don’t know what you’ve been through, Blair,’ he said, ‘but I am not going to betray you or hurt you; I….’ he hesitated. ‘You can trust me. I give you my word. And I don’t give that to many people, you know.’ 

Blair studied him again, even more carefully than before. 

Then she stepped forward. 

‘Okay. I’ll trust you - for now.’ The Ambassador nodded. 

‘Fair enough. Come.’ 

He headed for the door of the Archives, and Blair followed him out.


	3. Episode Three

‘Ah, here we are,’ the Ambassador said, and opened a door. 

Blair was stunned to see, in the room before her, rows upon rows of TARDISes. The Ambassador rummaged in his pockets and took out a key. He moved forward, beckoning. 

‘We haven’t got much time; the guard will be back soon, and he doesn’t like me very much.’ 

Blair nodded and silently followed him into the room, apprehensive. 

_ Is he gonna materialise in space and ditch me out? _ she thought. She followed him, determined to be fully on her guard. 

He unlocked the door to one TARDIS, and she followed him inside. It was…. _ different _ then she’d expected; that was for certain. There were no roundels on the walls, for a start, and those walls were a pale blue. There were dark wood pillars around the console, all inscribed with golden circular writing, and in several small depressions in the walls, there were candles. The Ambassador went over to the console and started programming the controls. 

‘The wardrobe is the first door to the left,’ he said. ‘Where we’re going, you’re not going to want to be in a CIA uniform.’ 

‘Wait - where are we going?’ 

‘London, a long while before your time. Edwardian era, to be precise.’ 

Blair nodded, and went off to the wardrobe. 

After sorting through all the Edwardian clothes, she finally found a long blue tunic and pair of gathered trousers that she liked. She put them on, and looked in the mirror. 

_ Gotta do something about my hair _ ; she thought,  _ not exactly historically accurate.  _

After letting it out of its bun ( _ It’s getting rather too long _ , she thought), she tried to coil it into a Gibson roll with a bow she’d found with the tunic. After several tries, she finally got it, and she stretched and went back into the corridor. 

She found the Ambassador in the Console Room, wearing a smart morning suit. She thought he looked more at ease in that then in the (presumably ceremonial) robes he had had on before. Which was understandable, quite frankly. 

‘We’re almost there,’ he said. 

‘Where are we going?’ she asked. 

‘A tea house I frequently visit. There are things I think we should discuss, and there are places better than Gallifrey to discuss them. And I need to deliver the gem to an…. _ acquaintance _ .’ 

The time rotors slowed, then settled, and the Ambassador reached for the door switch. The door slowly opened, and Blair followed him out into the street. 

*****

Blair winced as they stepped into the street; there were a lot of people nearby all at once, and she could sense all their minds nattering away; it was quite the cacophony. 

‘Are you all right?’ the Ambassador said in a low voice. 

‘Not really….’ 

He frowned for a moment, then his eyebrows rose. 

‘Are you a telepath?’ he asked. Blair nodded, squinting her eyes shut. Then she felt a hand on her forehead and her mind cleared. She started and opened her eyes. 

‘Put up your defenses and we’ll go on,’ he said. 

Shaking away the surprise, she focused on drawing down the door in her mind and taking a few deep breaths. Then she nodded, and the Ambassador took his hand away from her forehead. 

‘Thank you,’ she said. 

‘Of course.’ He held out his arm to her, and she took it. ‘Let’s go have England’s finest tea.’ 

Slowly, Blair grinned. ‘That’s debatable,’ she said as they walked on. ‘You haven’t tried the Pochillian tea I can make yet.’ 

*****

When they got in, Blair’s eyes widened. 

‘ _ Ambassador! _ ’ she whispered urgently. 

‘Hmm?’ 

She pointed. ‘ _ You weren’t joking when you said you come here frequently! _ ’ 

The Ambassador looked in the direction she was pointing; at the exact same person, sitting at a distant table, with a dark-haired woman. He chuckled. 

‘Oh….don’t worry; that’s my “acquaintance” I mentioned earlier.’ 

Blair’s head spun. ‘But doesn’t that break the Web of Time?’ 

He chuckled again. ‘I sincerely hope not; that gem needs to be put in the proper hands, and he’s really the only one I trust with it. Please excuse me for a moment.’ 

He moved away and towards the table. Blair watched as the dark-haired woman looked up and rolled her eyes, and then the other version of the Ambassador looked up as well and laughed. The Ambassador - the one she was with - good grief, this was confusing - was just handing him the box with the gem in, when someone bumped into Blair and she stumbled. 

‘Oh dear - I’m sorry, ma’am!’ 

Someone caught her and helped her up, and when she was steady, she turned. 

‘Thank you,’ she said. The young man laughed softly. 

‘Of course!’ 

He bowed, a few loose strands of his long hair falling over his forehead and his half-moon spectacles slipping down his nose a bit. He smiled at her. 

‘Do you need any help? Are you lost?’ 

Blair shook her head. ‘The person I’m with will be back in a moment, but thank you.’

‘Very well,’ he said. ‘Have a good day.’ He smiled and walked on into the back of the tea house, where he sat down and studied a menu intently. Blair couldn’t be certain, but she was  _ sure  _ that when he propped his cane up against the table, there was the glint of a sword just barely hidden in it. 

‘Are you ready for tea?’ 

Blair turned; the Ambassador had come back. She nodded, and they went to a table in an alcove off to the side. After a minute or so, someone came by and took their order, and after the teapot was on the table, they moved onto more serious matters. 

‘So, Blair.’ The Ambassador leaned on the table and steepled his fingers. ‘Who exactly  _ are _ you? How did you end up on Gallifrey, and in Miraletti’s clutches, at that?’ 

Blair sighed; she trusted him a lot more, now, but she still wasn’t sure how much she should tell him. She thought for a minute, then spoke. 

‘I….I’m a human, and….a Time Lord rescued me from being caught up in a fixed point a few years ago, and we’d been travelling together ever since. I already told you about the anomaly thing….and then we were fighting some aliens, and we got separated, and I fell out of an airlock and almost died, but then I suddenly was on Gallifrey, and I think Miraletti kidnapped me, and she’s been trying to get me to find the gem, and she isn’t very nice to me at  _ all _ .’ 

‘How do you have psionic abilities?’ the Ambassador asked. 

‘Oh - that was another Time Lord; they  _ definitely  _ kidnapped me, and were experimenting on me, but I escaped, and now I’m telepathic.’ 

The Ambassador nodded. ‘I see,’ he said. He leaned forward a little. ‘Do you happen to know what Miraletti is up to?’ he asked. Blair shook her head. 

‘No; I don’t….is she trying to take over the world or something? That’s what a lot of people seem to want to do, I’ve found.’ 

The Ambassador nodded. ‘I don’t know  _ precisely _ what she’s doing with the gem, but it’s absolutely certain that she wants to use it to gain complete control of Gallifrey and its allied planets.’ 

‘I’m not gonna help her, if that’s what you’re wondering,’ Blair said. ‘I don’t want any part of that.’ 

‘Good. I needed to know for sure if I could trust you.’ 

Blair nodded. ‘That makes sense.’ 

The Ambassador studied her for a moment, then nodded as well. 

‘I think I can,’ he said. ‘Tell me, Blair….would you be willing to do a bit of investigating for me? Nothing dangerous, as far as I can help it, but still something very important.’ 

‘What is it?’ she asked. 

‘Next time you return to the CIA’s headquarters, would you eavesdrop on Miraletti for me? I need to know exactly what she’s planning, and information that’s straight from the horse’s mouth is always the best kind of intelligence one can find.’ 

Blair’s eyes widened. ‘I don’t want to go back….can’t I stay with you?’ 

‘Unfortunately aliens aren’t technically allowed on Gallifrey - that is why the cadet you saw in the library very nearly had a nervous breakdown when he saw you - and the CIA headquarters is the best place for you to hide on this planet. However, I will be keeping my eye on you, and will keep you away from her as much as possible; you can even sleep in my lodgings when we return, if you wish; I seem to recall that humans need sleep every so many hours.....?’ 

Blair snorted. ‘Yeah, that’s how it works.’ 

‘Very well, then. What do you say?’ 

Blair frowned. She didn’t like the idea of going back to the CIA headquarters, but she guessed she had to. She looked up at the Ambassador. 

‘Will you make sure she doesn’t hurt me?’ she asked. The Ambassador nodded solemnly. 

‘I will give you a tracking and audio transmission device, and if I hear anything that suggests you’re in danger, I will come and get you out of there.’ 

‘Okay….’ It  _ sounded  _ like she’d be fine. ‘Yes. I’ll do it.’ 

‘Good. Then once we finish our tea, we shall return to Gallifrey, and stop at my lodgings so you can rest. It isn’t quite Lungbarrow, but it should suffice.’ 

‘What’s that?’ Blair asked, picking up her cup. 

‘My old house,’ he said. ‘Where I grew up.’ 

‘Oh!’ Blair drained her cup and reached for the teapot. ‘Thank you.’ The Ambassador nodded. 

‘Of course.’ 

*****

When they got back in the TARDIS, the Ambassador suggested that Blair change into her CIA uniform again, to blend in more. Blair went to the wardrobe and reluctantly put on the black-and-white tunic and white trousers. When she got back to the Console Room, she saw that the Ambassador was also back in his Gallifreyan clothes, and seemed somewhat wistful. 

When he saw her, though, he smiled. 

‘We’re almost back,’ he said. He took something out from under the console and came over to hand it to her. It was a tiny pendant the size of a penny, and engraved with some sort of seal. 

‘This is the listening and tracking device,’ he said. ‘It will still work if you wear it underneath your collar; it’s probably for the best if you don’t let Miraletti see it.’ 

Blair nodded and clasped it on, slipping the chain and pendant under her tunic’s collar. 

‘The charge will last for seven hundred and twenty spans. Be careful,’ he said.

‘Believe me; I  _ will _ .’ 

The time rotors slowed, and the Ambassador went over to the door switch.

*****

The Ambassador’s lodgings were elegant and peaceful, and Blair felt warmly welcomed as they entered. 

‘Feel free to wander anywhere except the door marked “Study,”’ he said. 

‘Thank you.’ 

‘I suppose you will want to eat something before you rest? I seem to remember that’s how it works on Earth?’ 

Blair laughed. ‘Yeah, that’s usually how it works.’ 

The Ambassador nodded. ‘I’ll be back in a moment, then,’ he said, and left the room. 

Blair looked around at all the bookshelves in the corner, and wandered over. There were many titles in alien languages she couldn’t decipher, and she wondered what they were. 

There were also several ancient-looking art history books, one of which was about Van Gogh. She picked it up and leafed through it for a while, before hearing footsteps.

‘Ah, I see you’ve found one of the biographies,’ the Ambassador said, setting two plates of food on the nearby table. 

‘Yeah; it’s about Van Gogh.’ 

‘Wonderful fellow,’ he said. ‘Painted exquisite art. I have several of his paintings, by the way; safely off-planet on an asteroid.’ 

‘That’s great!’ Blair came over to the table and sat down. The food looked delicious - Japanese dumplings and tempura with white rice and a tiny fried ball of something on a side dish. She supposed the Ambassador had learned about a lot of different cultures in his travels. 

‘What’s the fried food?’ she asked, pointing to the side dish. 

‘It’s green tea ice cream,’ he said. 

Blair gasped. 

‘I haven’t had ice cream in  _ ages _ ,’ she breathed. 

The Ambassador chuckled. ‘Well, I hope you enjoy it, then! I’ll be in the study; knock if you need me, but for matters of security, please don’t come in.’ 

Blair nodded. ‘Thank you so much,’ she said. 

*****

It was the best meal Blair had had in ages. 

After she finished, she left the plate at the table, not entirely certain what to do with it, and wandered down to the study. She knocked lightly.

‘Yes? Blair, is that you?’ 

‘Yeah - I just finished - I was wondering if you play chess at all?’ 

There were footsteps, and then the Ambassador opened the door and poked his head around it. 

‘Yes, I do. And you?’ 

‘Yeah.’ 

He stepped out of the study and smiled. ‘Are you asking if I would like to play a match?’ 

Blair grinned. ‘Or several.’ 

*****

Ten matches later, Blair’s score was six wins, four losses, and she was almost falling asleep. She bid the Ambassador goodnight, and went to bed, surprised at how happy she felt. 

As she lay in bed, looking out the window, a star shone brightly outside. 

‘Goodnight,’ she whispered, ‘wherever you are.’ 

She turned over, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. 


	4. Episode Four

Blair walked into the CIA headquarters the next morning with a faked confidence, determined to try her best to not let Miraletti take advantage of her. She knew it would be hard. 

‘Where were you all this time?’ she asked as soon as Blair walked into her office. 

‘I was with the Time Lord who gave me that note,’ she said, trying to keep her voice even. 

‘Oh,’ Miraletti said. ‘I see.’ She looked at Blair a little worriedly. 

_ Good _ , Blair thought.  _ Whatever’s on that note  _ is _ something she should be scared of _ . She felt fortunate; even when he wasn’t here to keep an eye on her, the Ambassador still had some sort of mysterious influence. 

‘Would you deliver these pages to the mail slot down the hall?’ Miraletti asked. Blair nodded and took the sheets, and walked out the door. 

_ Finally; something not-ominous to do _ , she thought. She walked out into the corridor, papers in tow. 

*****

As she approached Miraletti’s office, she could hear her talking to someone. She realised that this was probably a perfect time to do the eavesdropping for the Ambassador, so she flattened against the wall and listened. 

‘It’ll be the easiest way,’ Miraletti was saying. ‘The gem will transfer the Master’s likeness to me with the regeneration properties it contains.’ 

‘But won’t that kill him?’ came another voice. 

‘Of course it will, Goth!’ she said. ‘How else could I take his place?’ 

‘I don’t like this,’ Goth said. 

Blair couldn’t move. 

She had to move; had to get the word to him; had to save him….but how….she didn’t know how to communicate with a TARDIS long-distance….

Then she remembered.

_ The message. The message the TARDIS had asked her to send. _

With a great rush of adrenaline, she rocketed down the hall towards the comms room. 

*****

‘AV45….AV45….’

Blair scrambled around, trying to find a communicator that would connect to a TARDIS. Eventually, she found something with a rather obvious label, and started typing a message into it. 

_ Master - I don’t know what you and Miralettiarcalia are planning, _

_ but don’t trust her - she’s trying to kill you. Don’t _

Blair yelped as she was jerked backwards; she managed to slam the  _ send _ button just before it got out of reach, and then she found herself flung up against the far wall. She cried out in pain; it took several seconds for her to get the strength to look up, and when she did, she saw Miraletti glaring at the messaging machine. 

‘There’s no cancel button,’ she growled. She looked up at Blair, and her hand reached for her hip. 

‘ _ You will pay for this _ ,’ she hissed. 

Blair managed to push herself to a crouching position. 

‘Only  _ cowards _ hurt people who’re injured,’ she managed. 

‘I don’t  _ care _ about your petty human morality,’ she snapped. ‘I’m going to do what I should’ve done when I first met you.’ 

She drew her staser. 

‘You’re just a  _ coward _ ,’ Blair repeated. ‘Just a power-thirsty coward who couldn’t care less about who gets hurt along the way.’ 

‘ _ SHUT UP! _ ’ she shouted. She switched the staser back to maximum power. Blair almost whimpered. 

_ I just want to see him one more time! _ she screamed inside. 

‘You were a waste of time, Blair Kenneth-Sanders,’ Miraletti spat. 

‘ _ DON’T.  _ EVER. _ CALL. ME. THAT _ .’ Blair couldn’t believe how much energy surged through her at that. She tried to rise, but apparently energy meant nothing compared to body strength. 

Miraletti’s finger tightened on the trigger. 

‘You are relieved of duty, Miss Sanders,’ she said.   
There was a loud crash - someone screamed ‘ _ DUCK, BLAIR! _ ’ - and then a loud volley of staserfire erupted. 


	5. Episode Five

She heard Miraletti cry out, then heard the thud of her hitting the ground. There was the sound of running feet. 

Blair slowly opened her eyes, and saw the Ambassador kneeling over the CIA agent and binding her. When he was finished, he stood up and came over to Blair. 

‘Let me help you up,’ he said, bending down and lifting Blair to her feet. She gasped; it  _ hurt _ . 

‘Have you broken anything?’ he asked. 

‘I don’t think so….’

‘Good. We need to get you out of here  _ now _ .’ 

‘But….I thought….’ Blair coughed.

‘I’ve figured out an emergency escape,’ he said. ‘But we have to go  _ now _ .’ 

‘Okay….’ 

She tried not to scream in pain as the Ambassador helped her quickly out of the headquarters and down the streets outside. 

*****

Blair soon realised they were going to the place with all the TARDISes. 

‘What’s the plan?’ she gasped. 

‘You left your bag at my lodgings last night, so I retrieved it and put it in the TARDIS for you to make a quick escape; once you’re inside, pull the dematerialisation lever. It will take you somewhere safe, and once you leave her, the ship will fly back to me automatically.’ 

‘Okay.’ 

They were almost at the door now, but pulled up short. There was a guard there, glaring at them. 

‘Lord Ambassador, what is a  _ human _ doing with you? And in the TARDIS bays, at that?’ 

‘It is  _ nothing  _ you need to be worried about, guard….’ the Ambassador started. 

Blair immediately had an idea. She fumbled through her pockets with her free hand, and finally pulled out the card the Ambassador had given her. 

_ I hope this works _ , she thought. She held it up and waved it at the guard. 

‘Let us pass,’ she managed. 

The guard gasped and stepped back. 

‘Of….of course….go on….’ 

The Ambassador wasted no time in ushering Blair past him and into the bay. 

‘What’s  _ on _ that card, anyway?’ Blair whispered. 

‘I’d rather not go into that right now,’ he said. ‘It’s rather complicated.’ 

They stopped by the TARDIS, and the Ambassador unlocked it. 

‘Quickly; in,’ he said. 

Blair limped in, then turned around in the doorway. 

‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I barely know you and you’re being so nice - ‘

‘It’s all right, Blair; just  _ go _ ; please. Before it’s too late.’ 

Blair nodded, and turned back. The Console Room was there before her. She went over to the Console, shut the door, and pulled the dematerialisation lever. 

*****

The Ambassador watched the TARDIS dematerialise, then turned and walked back outside, past the trembling guard, back to the CIA headquarters. 

He opened the door to Miralettiarcalia’s office and walked in. She was there, on the floor, glaring up at him. 

‘Ambassador, I don’t know  _ who _ has done this, but I demand someone untie me at  _ once! _ ’ 

The Ambassador tutted. 

‘I can’t do that, I’m afraid,’ he said. ‘You see….I’m the one who tied you.’ 

Miraletti’s eyes widened and she flushed scarlet. 

‘How  _ dare _ you - a lowly Ambassador - ‘

‘Ah; I think you’re underestimating me a trifle,’ he said. 

‘Why you - ‘

‘....after all, who do you think gave Blair that card?’ 

Dead silence. 

_ Perfect _ .

‘There’s….’ Miraletti stumbled over her words; ‘....there’s no such thing as a Lord Burner….it’s a legend….nothing more….’ 

‘Oh, I would debate that heartily,’ he said, ‘especially considering I  _ am _ the Lord Burner.’ 

A tense pause. 

‘Please - I beg you - Lord Braxiatel - don’t - ‘

‘You have been involved in a dark scheme for a long time, Miralettiarcalia,’ Braxiatel said quietly. ‘And on top of that, I don’t take too kindly to people treating my friends badly, even if I have only known them for a few days.’ 

‘Please - I don’t know what you mean - ‘ 

‘That’s enough, Agent,’ he said. ‘There hasn’t been a burn edict in a very long time, but now I think an…. _ unofficial one  _ is in order. It’s not like anyone will ever know; as you said;  _ there’s no such thing as a Lord Burner on Gallifrey…. _ ’ 

*****

The time rotors stopped, and Blair limped over to her backpack. She couldn’t put it on; it was too heavy for the pain she was in, but she lifted it, opened the door, and stepped out. 

As soon as her feet touched the dirt, she knew something was wrong. 

And then the TARDIS dematerialised behind her. 

She spun around. 

‘ _ NO! _ ’ she screamed. ‘ _ COME BACK! _ ’ 

The TARDIS vanished from view, and Blair realised that even if she  _ did  _ come back, the Ambassador still had the key. She couldn’t get inside. 

She looked around at the barren landscape; there were no people. No homes; at least not visible ones. 

She sank down and sobbed. 

She didn’t look up when she heard the TARDIS materialisation sound behind her; what was the use if she couldn’t get in? She heard the TARDIS land, and then….

….she heard a door creak open. 

With a gasp, she turned. 

‘ _ Blair Kenneth? _ Is that you? I caught a distress signal, and - why are you in a CIA uniform?’ came a familiar voice. A short little Time Lord in a ridiculous jumper stood in the doorway. 

‘D….Doctor….?’ 

The Doctor quickly stepped out of the doorway and came over, kneeling down next to her. 

‘Blair - what happened? Where’s the Master?’ 

Blair started crying again at that. The Doctor wrapped her in a hug. 

‘Shh….it’s all right….you can tell me later….’ 

‘They’re all  _ gone! _ ’ Blair choked. ‘Everyone I care about is  _ gone  _ and I don’t know what to  _ do! _ ’ 

‘ _ Shh…. _ ’ The Doctor stroked her hair. ‘It’s going to be all right; I’ll help you.’ 

They sat there for a long while, and when Blair had run out of energy to cry, the Doctor slowly helped her to her feet. 

‘Come into the TARDIS and I’ll get you out of here,’ he said. 

Blair nodded silently and picked up her backpack. She reached for the Doctor’s hand, and he took it, and they walked into the TARDIS together.


End file.
